Itacest Alphabet
by megaminty
Summary: A collection of stories about the growing romance between Northern Italy (Feliciano) and Southern Italy (Lovino).
1. Anxious

_**Italy is so cute! Italy is a great artist! Obviously, Italy is better than Romano! I mean, he's not even called Italy anymore!**_

Lovino listened as the other countries chatted from behind the brick wall of the meeting building. He always heard the same thing, every day. Sometimes, they would even say he should kill himself. He leaned his back against the wall, his eyes glazing over as he listened to the comments, comparing him to his brother. He didn't even know why he came and listened to them anymore; all it was doing was making him more depressed than he already was. He finally decided after an hour of sitting and listening that he heard enough and started walking back to his home, where he lived with his _'oh-so-great'_ brother. The Southerner walked down the dark, peaceful streets of Italy, being introduced to new voices along the way.

He knows he should just die off, and let his brother be the country of Italy. His pride just wouldn't let him allow such things.

 _ **No matter what he does-**_

He started walking faster, nearing his home that was settled just around the corner, an **anxious** feeling taking over his body. He was just a couple metres away from house, thoughts whirling around in his head like a tornado. He came down to the same conclusion that he always did.

 _ **He'll just never be good enough.**_

Lovino slammed the door shut and slid down the cool fixture. The thoughts never stopped. They never did. The tears he had been fighting for so long fell slowly down his tan cheeks as he lifted himself up and trudged quickly up to his room. The rage inside of him had built up over the last couple hundred years, and now, he would finally let it go. As he entered the dark red room, his hand absentmindedly grasped an expensive statue his grandfather left for him before he disappeared, and threw it against the wall, leaving a very apparent dent in the wooden interior of the room. As his gentle tears became quiet sobs, the ring of the phone broke him out of his fury-fueled hurricane of solid, breakable objects. He took a moment to gather himself before slowly approaching the dark green telephone that sat in the barely used desk. He picked it up, taking a deep, shaky breath before putting it to his ear.

"Ciao..." He answered the caller, blandly.

"Ve! Ciao, fratello! Sorry I'm not home yet. I was just picking up the ingredients I need to make some pasta! I'll make it when I get home, ne?" The voice on the other line tilted and twisted in the most cheerful fashion, making his chest hurt even more than before.

He bit his lip, hoping just enough so that the pain would somewhat rival the pain residing in his chest. It wasn't nearly enough.

With the nicest voice he could muster, he managed to recite the, "Okay. But don't take too long, bastard!" he had practiced in his mind over and over.

He repeated the vulgar sentence in his head again, trying to reconstruct it to make it sound a pinch kinder, without making it seem too suspicious.

"Ve! Alright, fratello! Ciao!" The voice exclaimed, happily.

The line had fell silent before he could make another comment.

He looked down at the phone in his hand. The slightest twitch instigated the rage once again, making him screech a quick 'Damn it!' before throwing it with all of his might against the desk, making an audible smack as it hit the surface. It was then that he noticed the old picture frame on the other side of the desk. Inside the frame, laid a photo with his Nonno, brother and himself. Well, He wasn't exactly the main feature in the picture. The only reason he kept it was for the benefit of being able to see his Nonno's happy face. A similar face was pictured on his brother. It could've been drawn, and the smile could not look more brilliant. Then, there stood himself, a permanent scowl glued on his face as he stood behind his brother, face flushed red due to his constant camera-shyness. A growl illuminated from his throat.

' _Why? Why is he always better than me, Nonno? Why did you favour him over me? Why does_ _ **everyone**_ _favour him over me!?'_ The thought erupted in his mind as his grip on the photo tightened.

He knew exactly why.

It was because he and his little scowling self couldn't do _jack shit_. He couldn't draw as well as Feliciano, or cook as well as Feliciano, or be as cute as Feliciano, or be as sweet as Feliciano... He could be _none_ of that. He could be very vulgar, and he could flirt, only to fail and be rejected by person and person without _end_. Even with what he could do, he couldn't possibly do it better than his _darling_ brother. Before he knew it, the picture in his hands went zooming across the air, towards the large window that gave him a wide view of the town. The contact between the two objects resulted in a loud, ear-piercing smash and a whirlwind of glass flying towards him. He could feel the blood drip down his rough skin as the glass made contact with him, causing him to curse under his breath as he tried his best not to let his blood-stained arms touch his clothing. But, that didn't matter anymore. His heart had dropped into his stomach the instant he heard the slam of the door, closing on the bottom floor.

"Ne? Fratello? Are you alright?" A high-pitched voice questioned, quickly finding it's way up the creaky steps of the staircase.

He stood in the middle of the wrecked room, holding his bloody arms together. As the footsteps got closer, his anxiety got the better of him, and he quickly locked the door of the room. The knob began to wriggle as Feliciano tried to open it.

"Fratello! Open the door!" He heard a series of bangs against the structure.

"Go away, bastard! I- I'm fine!" He exclaimed at the sibling, who currently behind the door.

There was silence, except for the doorknob wriggling and the annoyed whines of the younger brother behind the door. In an lame attempt to escape his brother, he wrapped the throw blanket from his bed around himself and got down onto the floor, making the blood of his arms stain the carpet well. He rolled underneath the bed, and curled up into the tightest ball he could. He silently cursed the door as he heard the knob moaning out lowly as a sign of age and failed resistance. .

 _ **CRACK!**_

The door knob lock on the door broke and he noticed the feet of his brother clumsily barge in as the door swung open. There was a gasp of urgency and an immediate cry coming from his brother. He could hear the heavy footsteps of the younger run around the room, in a pathetic attempt to find him. He could hear the wails turn into cries of fear as the buttons of the abused phone were dialed. He saw his brother tap his foot impatiently as he waited for a reply, and hear he was taking loud, deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. Then, he heard a quick gasp.

"Germany! Ludwig, you have to help me! Lovino's room is in ruins and I can't find him! I think he might be hurt. Please, Ludwig!" A cry illuminated from his brother as he screeched into the phone.

There was a gulp.

"Thank you so much..." He heard Feliciano whisper into the device before hanging it up hurriedly and dialing more nations to come assist him.

The names Kiku, Alfred and even Matthew came from the panicking man.

It only took him 10 minutes until he let out a screech

 _ **"Why isn't anyone coming!?"**_ He cried out into the quiet room.

Lovino chuckled as he unwrapped the blanket from around his head, causing the younger to gasp in surprise at the sudden noise.

"You just don't get it, do you? Dumbass."

"Fratello!?" He heard his brother cry out, "Where are you?!"

"I'm under here." He muttered quietly, mentally cursing his stupidity, from letting his brother find his hiding spot.

Feliciano used his foot to sweep away the glass beside the bed before flopping on his stomach. Upon seeing Lovino, he let out a quiet sob and grabbed his arm, assisting the older brother from under the bed. As he got him to take a seat on the mattress after clearing it of glass shards, Feliciano quickly wrapped his arms around his brother, before letting out a sob.

"What happened, Lovi? Who did this to you?!" The younger wailed, sobbing into the cardboard-coloured bloodstained shirt his brother was wearing.

He chuckled under his breath before answering, "I did."

A feeling of fear and confusion sparked in Feliciano's mind. He let the overwhelming feelings jump from his gut to display in his face, "You're kidding, right? W-Why would you ever do this to yourself?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Lovino muttered, trying his best to cover his scarred arms.

The confusion in the younger became stronger, as his face twisted with the said emotion.

"What do you-"

"Don't play dumb with me, Feliciano. It's painfully obvious that every nation hates me, _including_ you. You only stay here out of pity for me. I'm not Italy, because the only reason I was put on this earth was to make sure you'll be alright until _you_ truly become the nation of _Italia_!" Romano exclaimed his belief, but only received wide eyes and a weak frown in return.

"Why do you even think that!? Idiot!" Italy cried out loudly, grabbing his brother firmly by the shoulders and looking into his eyes. "I don't hate you! I love you more than anyone! Japan, America, even Germany! Isn't it more obvious that I can't be Italy alone?! You may be right on the fact that you aren't Italy, and that's because we both are! _Together!_ " He exclaimed into the older man's face, tears rolling gracefully down his face as he shook his brother harshly.

Lovino stilled himself, peeling the hands off of his shoulders before shooting a sad smile to his northern counterpart.

"It's because I'll never be good enough." He repeated the evil words that repetitively replayed in his mind every moment of every day.

"What do- What do you mean?" Feliciano let his sobs die down, before answering his brother in sniffles.

"You're such a dumbass." He started slowly, bunching his hands into fists, "You don't need me, of all people, to be Italy. You have so many alliances with people who you could even call friends, like Ludwig and Kiku, the Allies and even _Nonno_ is watching over you, wherever he is. _I_ have _no one_. You could say that _Tomato Bastard_ is someone I have, but even _he_ likes you better! And what's more, I'm more of a _human_ , then I am a _nation_! The only part of Italy I am is a citizen. I'm _nothing_ compared to you…"

A soft whisper spoke into his ear, "Y-You…"

He sighed quietly, preparing his mind to be rejected by the only family he had left. He turned away from the younger's confused gaze. An **anxious** feeling gnawed at his stomach. He could finally leave, or die. Whatever he could do to make sure Feliciano was the only true nation.

That was, until two unexpected words broke the silence.

"You're wrong."

The thin arms wrapped around him again, face buried into the back of the older brother.

"You mean everything to me. You're one of the very few things I love more than pasta! I hate it when you say things like that, and when you storm off whenever people make you mad, or say mean things about you. Don't you get that they're jealous?! They just want to be you!" Italy said, wiping his tear-stained cheeks against the cloth and giving one more small sniffle. .

"The only reason someone would want to be _me_ is to get close to _you_. Other than that, Who in the actual fuck would want to be me? Someone like me? I'm _useless_!" He yelled in a broken voice, flipping around to see Feliciano looking frightened.

He hated it when he cried, especially in front of people.

"You wonder things like that, and then you fail to see that you can do so many things! You can cook, make your face redder than a tomato. You can pickpocket, which isn't that good of a thing, but you're the best person I know who can do that! You can do anything, if you would just stop thinking things like that!" Italy muttered into his back, allowing the older's uncontrollable shaky breaths to flow out into the air.

Lovino grunted under his breath, letting a tear roll down his face once again. He wondered when Feliciano had noticed those things. The younger pulled away, facing his brother again, with a soft smile.

Lovino could swear he'd never seen anything so charming.

"So, won't you stay here? With me?" The softness of the voice almost made his heart break.

"I-I would love to-" He muttered, wiping the single tear away as he turned away from his brother once again.

"Great! See, was that so-"

"But, I can't stay here."

Feliciano's sentence was cut off before he could finish, by words that he didn't want to hear. His eyes widened and his heart fell to his stomach, similar to his brother earlier.

"What?! Why!?"

"I can't explain it. Something's wrong with me, Feli. Everyday, I sit by some wall of some building and listen to these voices that I've convinced myself are people, and they're not! As I listen, I always wonder, who would even miss me if I wasn't here? They wouldn't care as long as their _precious Feliciano_ was okay!" He stated, clenching and unclenching his hands to stop himself from crying again, "I always wonder, why does everyone like you so much better? I wasn't always such an asshole. I can't stop _wanting_ to hate you _so much_ , but I can't. Why? If I didn't care so much about you then I wouldn't even have these problems. I can't find anyone, _anyone_ who can save me from all these swirling thoughts in my head that never stop. I don't think I ever will."

The younger man saw his brother start to shake, trying to contain himself. He listened intently, even if he was slightly angered by the stupidity his brother was spewing. He knew it wasn't stupid to Lovino.

"Well, then-"

Suddenly, the elder Italian began to wail. His chest felt so heavy that he thought his heart could burst. He had kept this all inside of him for decades, and even though he finally told someone, it just seemed to feel worse. Wasn't letting your feelings out to someone supposed to lift the weight off, _not_ make it seem heavier? Feliciano suddenly felt a pang of worry fall over him. It was odd for Lovino to cry so openly; in front of him, at least. He fell back to his regular solution, and wrapped his arms around him once again, waiting for his wailing to stop.

"It'll be okay, fratellone. I won't leave you in the dark." Feliciano mumbled into his ear, trying to soothe the older man.

The wailing started to die down from the encouragement. Lovino, now embarrassed from the awkward encounter, nudged Feliciano off of him and mumbled quietly under his breath.

"I don't need anyone. I'm fine."

"That's not what you were telling me five minutes ago, Lovi. It's fine, you can tell me anything! Now, as I was trying to say," Feliciano countered the statement coming from his embarrassed brother and pressed his forehead against him and smiled brightly, "You don't need to look for anyone, anymore! _I'll_ save you!"

The words struck Lovino like a bomb. The swirling thoughts in his mind stopped for a moment, as he stared into Feliciano's eyes. He couldn't believe him. He had to be screwing with him. It wouldn't be surprising if he was, even though that statement was all he had ever wanted to hear from someone. But, Feliciano's eyes were pure, and full of an emotion that Lovino couldn't pinpoint. He pushed him off forcefully, hoping that his younger counterpart would just leave already.

"Why would you want to save _me_ , anyway!?" He grumbled, crossing his arms and turning his back to said person.

Feliciano sighed, getting slightly annoyed by his brothers temper. Despite that, he replaced his frown with his bright smile and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Isn't it obvious, fratello? It's because _I love you_!"

Lovino's heart skipped a beat. He knew it was brotherly love, mind you. Or was it? Whatever it was, He had never heard those words sound so true. It was then that he lost control of himself and his body.

The rest of the night, Feliciano sat with his once again wailing brother, trying his best to hug him back in the death grip that he was constricted in by his older brother, hearing continuous phrases like ' _I love you, too!_ ' and various forms of ' _Thank you!_ '. He just giggled and repeated them back, snuggling into his shoulder.

 _And that is how it all started._


	2. Blush

Feliciano decided it was about time Lovino to let loose and get to know the other countries a bit better. So, he thought it would be a good idea to invite the nations over for a game of ' _Truth or Dare'_. Lovino, on the other hand, didn't think it was such a good idea when he found out.

'What do you _mean_ you invited people over!? They'll ask about my arms and- Oh, _Dio_ , my room! What is Antonio goes into my room and sees everything? God, He'll be a mess. Oh, _cazzo_!" The southerner swore under his breath, muttering more random profanities after that.

"Ve! Don't worry about it, Lovino! It'll be fun! Besides, I didn't invite just anyone! I only invited a few of our friends!"

"You mean _your_ friends?"

"Well, right now, maybe. But, I'm sure you will become friends with everyone soon enough!"

Lovino doubted that. He wanted the choke his brother with all of his might for his stupidity, but decided against it. If it weren't for the younger, humming man currently swaying gently around the living room as they waited, he would be as good as dead. The incident occurred a few days ago, and he was eternally grateful of his younger brother. Although he had been confused since that day about his feelings towards him. Ever since he looked into those eyes and heard those words, he's been seeing things in a whole different way.

A knock on the door intruded his thoughts and he sighed, not looking forward to the upcoming events of the evening.

Ten people sat around the living room of the Italian brother's house. Those people being Lovino, Feliciano, Antonio, Ludwig, Gilbert, Matthew, Alfred, Kiku, Arthur and Francis. Lovino wasn't very fond of most of the said people.

 _I thought he said_ _ **a few**_ _._

"Okay, dudes. I thought since most of the people here aren't that creative," Alfred stopped and looked in Arthur's direction before continuing with a glare blistering into his back, " We should do a computer-generated game, so that everyone has an equal dare!"

A chorus of the phrase ' _okay_ ' played throughout the room, with the exception of Arthur's rather _tsundere_ comment. Alfred tapped some keys on his laptop and then generated one for himself. His smile grew at the dare, and an ' _Alright!'_ erupted from the American's throat.

 _ **[Challenge any other player to a duel. Stand with your backs together, both holding a beer in one hand. Take five steps, then turn and drink your beer as fast as you can.**_

 _ **The instant one person finishes, the other person must stop and set down their beer.]**_

Alfred read out the dare to the other older countries, and lifted himself off of the couch with an excited bounce. He looked around the room with an evil-looking smirk pasted on his face, which caused a few suspicious looks to fly his way. Feliciano just hoped he didn't pick one of the two Italians, since Lovino would want to continue drinking until he was drunk and emotional and spilled out all of his secrets to everyone. Himself, on the other hand, didn't fancy the beverage, and would rather have wine instead. But the American stopped spinning around the room, and pointed a finger at the albino German.

"I challenge you, _German dude_!" He laughed, with that really _obnoxious_ laugh that made Lovino want to rip his ears off.

A short chuckle came from the Prussian and he bounced up onto his feet, heading over to the coffee table where he had left the case of beer he had brought with him. Ludwig groaned and covered his face with his hand. After this, his brother would be annoying him all night with his victory. As soon as they were ready, the two challengers pressed their backs together. It was visible that they were attempting to push each other down before the dare even started. On Matthew's signal, they each took five hurried steps, pivoted on the heels of their boots and continued to guzzle down the brown-coloured liquid into their bodies. Gilbert acted like the equivalent of a garbage can, and let the alcohol drain into his body in a matter of 10 seconds. Alfred on the other hand gagged on the drink, and how bitter the taste was. Gilbert pulled the can away from his lips and let out a holler.

"Suck it, _loser_! No one can be the _awesome_ me!" He continued to insult the American for thinking he could win against his _awesome_ self.

America mumbled irrational, inaudible words as he plopped himself down onto the couch next to the British nation.

"Oh, don't be down, America. Prussia may be a _garbage can_ for beer, but you're a _dumpster_ for fast food." The brit insulted him, causing some of the other nations to laugh when America pouted and glared like a child. Lovino chuckled, trying to fit in with the others.

"Ugh, whatever. Bro, truth or dare?" Alfred screeched, childishly, as he pointed in the direction of Feliciano.

The Italian sighed in his mind, but gave a smile and quickly responded with _truth_.

"Oh, dude! C'mon, don't be a chicken." The young nation exclaimed, pressing dare before the man could protest.

Italy quietly sighed, finding there be no point to do it in his head anymore, but kept the smile on his face.

"Fine, _Alfredo_. But, I'm not drinking." He cheerfully answered.

Lovino stared at his brother for a the meantime as he chanted some random phrases as he waited for the dare to generate.

 _[You must put your hand on the person to your left's inner thigh for one round.]_

As the blonde read out the dare, Romano felt a **blush** rise as he saw Feliciano lift his left arm and place it on his inner thigh. He didn't mind much, since him and Feliciano had slept together on the odd time and Feliciano's hands had found themselves in even weirder places. This time just felt different, due to the lack of hesitation from the younger. He heard the other nations laugh at the redness that stained his cheeks, so he raised his head and scowled.

"It was a _dare_ , bastards! Stop staring!" He screeched, letting a pout similar to Alfred's appear on his face.

"Lovi! You're face is redder than a tomato!" He heard a certain Spaniard bellow out.

 _"Shut up already, Tomato Bastard!"_ He yelped helplessly, crossing his arms and hiding his red face.

The nations let their laughs grow louder before they continued. Feliciano giggled and flashed a bright smile his way, making his face go even darker. That same damned **blush** stayed on his face the whole round, but he didn't seem to mind as much as he thought he would.

As everyone began to filter out of his household, Lovino took a moment to ponder the several awkward dares that had been generated. He muttered a quiet 'Damned Americans!' under his breath and fixed his gaze on his brother who was currently saying goodbye to his friends as they left. His smile was still plastered on his face. That smile is what made him **blush** all the time now. He was so intrigued by the smile that he didn't notice the man walking towards his back.

"That was a weird experience. Don't you think, fratellone?" Feliciano giggled, wrapping his arms around Lovino's neck and resting his chin on the left shoulder..

If Feliciano didn't ask him again, Lovino would have been too flustered to give the answer.

"Eh? Uh, yeah. Those American's are fucking weird. I mean, that dare with the dark room was fucking petrifying!"

Feliciano laughed at the shakiness of the older man's voice. Lovino had been acting so out of character that night. He remembered seeing Lovino chatting with his invisible Canadian friend, and even remembered him smiling! It wasn't often Feliciano got to see his brother smile. He loved his smiles.

But, it was still odd.

He also remembered his fratellone staring at him every once in awhile, as if trying to tell him something with his eyes. He felt a sense of worry underneath his smile.

"Well, uh, I'm going to go sleep. Good night, _idiota_." Lovino muttered, lifting himself off of the chair and making his way towards the sofa of the living room.

Due to his room being in ruins, Lovino had to sleep in the living room for the next little while. Feliciano frowned at the statement. His insults had been softer, and he kept stuttering, like he had been struck by some kind of _Porky Pig_ fever. Although he may have been overreacting, he wanted to make sure the elder Italian was feeling alright.

"Ne, fratello? Would you mind sleeping in my room with me tonight? Some of those dares were scary."

"Uh," Lovino stopped abruptly and gulped, before turning towards him and muttering, "Fine, bastard. But I swear to God if you start with that cuddling shit, I'm leaving!"

Feliciano giggled, and nodded. He didn't mind the one rule, because Lovino slept like a log and would never even notice if someone blew an air horn. Another thing told him that the rule would be broken soon enough.


	3. Cruel

Lovino sat on the sofa, his legs stretched across the other cushions. Feliciano was currently sitting on his lap, playing with his fingers happily. The two were currently having a lazy Saturday morning, because they had the day off. Feliciano was still a little hesitant to leave Lovino for a whole day's work, anyway. Lovino was a bit annoyed by his younger brother, trying to watch a soap opera currently playing on the television, but he kept one arm wrapped around his waist so he wouldn't fall off like an idiot. Feliciano was interrupted from his current activity by the loud ring of the phone. He looked behind him, and smiled at Lovino.

"Yeah, yeah. Go get it, idiota." Lovino muttered, unwrapping his arm from the younger man's waist.

Feliciano let out a short 'Ve!' and jumped off of the couch, running into the kitchen to grab the home phone. Lovino muttered under his breath as the attention of his brother was stripped away. It was probably that _krautface_ again. Lately, Ludwig has been calling Feliciano and inviting him over to 'train' but, Lovino had his suspicions.

"Hi, Luddy! We need to be quiet, cause Lovi might hear me. He'd probably be mad." He heard a giggle erupt from the kitchen, followed by a quick cough to cover it up.

Now, he was a pinch more angry. It annoyed him how much Feliciano hung out with Ludwig, even if they were _just_ friends. As of late, Lovino had felt a tiny bit too possessive over Feliciano. He didn't know what it was, if it was protective or a slightly romantic feeling. All he knew was he wanted to make sure Feliciano was safe.

"Ve, alright! I'll see you soon! Ciao!" Came another loud giggle, and a ' _clank'_ as the wall phone was hung again.

Feliciano's feet loudly banged against the wood of the kitchen floor as he trampled into the carpeted area of the living room where Lovino had been residing.

.

"So," Lovino grumbled angrily, "Who called?"

"Oh, no one! It was just Kiku!" The young man exclaimed with cheer, searching for his cellphone in the cushions.

Lovino raised one eyebrow, curious why Feliciano had lied to him. He grunted lowly.

"Whatever, bastard."

Feliciano gave his brother a soft smile and continued scrambling to find his expensive cell phone. Soon enough, the young Italian was angered and muttered something inaudible under his breath. Then, he looked at the lights that were shining in the corner of his eye, distracting him.

"Ve! Fratello, I can't wait for Christmas! I love it when everyone's happy and none of the nations are fighting! It's the best! We can invite Roderich and Elizaveta and Antonio-

"There is no way in _hell_ that the ' _Tomato Bastard_ ' is coming here for _Natale_." Lovino grumbled, reminiscing on the embarrassing things Antonio did that made Lovino want to kill him.

"Ne, Lovi! It'll be fine! You can't really think we wouldn't invite all of our friends."

"I don't know why you say _our_ friends, idiota. I don't like them _or_ their shit-eating faces!"

Feliciano smacked him upside the head with a slight frown, "Fratello, why do you have to be so mean? I mean, you like Matteo, _right_?"

"Okay, so I don't like them _or_ their shit-eating faces _except for Matthew_."

Feliciano sighed and continued to let his hands wander beneath the cushions of the couch. He heard a scoff come from the older Italian, and his phone had suddenly appeared in front of his face.

"Eh? Fratello? Why didn't you tell me you had my phone?!" Feliciano whined, snatching the expensive technology from his brothers rough hands, only to notice Lovino immediately retract his arms and cross them in a tight knot, muttering.

"What? What's bugging you?"

"Oh, nothing. You go have fun with _Potato Breath_." The sarcasm dripped from his annoyed voice.

The younger brother raised his eyebrows and tilted his head slightly to the side.

"What do you-"

"Stop it, idiot. Why don't you just go already? You don't need to stick around to make sure I don't fucking kill myself."

"Wha-? What are you even talking about? Who even said I was going to Ludwig's?" Feliciano questioned, giving a weak glare to his brother.

Some days, Felciano could be beaten up, cussed out and tortured by his brother and would still keep a smile on his face. Today was not one of those days.

"Do you think I'm deaf? I can hear your girly giggling and flirting in the kitchen. _Be quiet, my ass._ Just take your fucking phone and leave, you bastard." The southerner grumbled, lifting himself up and heading into the kitchen to grab something to take his mind off of his younger brother.

Feliciano headed over to the door connecting the living room with the outside world, opening it before turning back towards the retreating figure and shouted in annoyance.

"Why do you get so angry for no reason? That's probably the reason everyone likes me better than-" The sentence came to a stop, as did the older Italians movements.

" _What was that_?" He spoke out into the air, chest tightening by the second.

"Ne! _Nothing_! Just some random rambling! You know me, _babble, babble, babble!_ " Feliciano tried to cover the accidental words that had escaped his mouth. But once they were said, Lovino began to shake, "Lovino?"

"Just take you and your idiotic self to go screw your potato-loving boyfriend. See if _I_ care!"

Feliciano cringed at the harshness of the comment, and felt something inside of him tick like a bomb.

"Why do you care you care so much, anyway!? If I want to go across the world to see Alfred, I should be allowed to!" Feliciano whined, angrily.

Why was Lovino so disapproving of his German friend?

"Yeah, and why should you care if I want to disappear? It only benefits you in the end, anyway! Why are you so persistent on telling me you care when you really wouldn't!? All you need is your _loving friends_ to get you by, not some fucking disgrace of a southern counterpart for a brother!"

Feliciano felt the pit of his stomach churn. Now, he was angry. Something rare to see in the young Italian, since he was always so cheerful towards everyone. He began to wonder what went wrong with the morning, and what had caused Lovino to say such things.

"How dare you! You think I would be that shallow as to be happy that you could've bled out to death in your room?! Do you really think I lied about everything I said to you?!"

There was a moment of silence.

"I don't think you lied, I know you lied."

Feliciano was never good with controlling anger. He wouldn't hurt anyone, but it was always very visible on his face, ending in what seemed to be an endless stream of tears; tears of frustration. It also caused him to say things he regretted saying for the rest of his life.

"Y-You," He choked out, trying his best wipe away his tears with a clenched fist, "You know what? Maybe I will go screw with my ' _potato-loving boyfriend_ ' and you can go kill yourself in _whatever fashion you'd like!_ _**See if**_ _ **I**_ _ **care.**_ "

With that outburst, Feliciano slammed the door with all of his might. His tears wouldn't be stopping for a long while. His chest twisted and turned with the feeling of regret that he hated so much. He never knew what got the best of him, It was like he was changing into some kind of **cruel** demon. He leaned on the wooden fixture for a moment, letting out weak cries and whispering the name of his brother before pushing off of it and retreating to the only place he felt he could be comfortable.

It had been two whole days.

Lovino had counted the hours since his brother had fled the house. The pain in his chest felt like it could make his heart stop beating at any moment. He was curled up on the couch, letting the words replay in his head over and over.

' _Maybe I will go screw with my 'potato-loving boyfriend' and you can go kill yourself in whatever fashion you'd like!_ _**See if**_ _ **I**_ _ **care**_ _."_

Feliciano had never sounded so cold before. He couldn't blame him though. He was being a **cruel** bastard, always beating up on him until he finally burst. It was cold in the house that night, without the warmth of the younger Italian swaying carelessly around the house, singing some random tune with his angelic voice.

God, what was wrong with him?

This was his brother he was talking about, not to mention his brother who _just_ told him to kill himself. He knew the words were empty, that they weren't true. But between the crack in his normally perfect voice to the tears rolling down his _so-damn-perfect_ face, Lovino couldn't help but second guess himself. The morning light blinded his red, wet eyes. He chuckled as he realised he was acting like a teenage schoolgirl, who just got rejected by her crush. He could finally understand _that_ situation. He decided he would skip the world meeting today, too. Anything to avoid the younger Italian. In the end, he decided he would go to a place any good catholic would go.

If you thought that was supposed to be heaven, good guess. (Bastard.) But, he stood in front of the church that he and his brother attended every Sunday when they were free. They made it a weekly thing, even if they couldn't go on the 'sacred day.'

Lovino was completely and utterly bored during the mass, something that hadn't struck him for a long time. He would always be entertained by the well-dressed Northerner beside him when they went. But, now he was alone. He missed the way Feliciano would bounce around cheerfully during the hymns, and sit quietly playing with Lovino's fingers during the readings. It was almost exhausting to sit there alone.

After the mass, he decided to confide in another nation he knew would be skipping the meeting today. He walked along the trail of white, with large, bare trees lining it. He could imagine it being beautiful during the fall. He came upon a large log cabin-like house, with the red and white flag resting above the bright red door. He stepped up the handmade staircase, and knocked on the door, retracting his arm and looking around at the beautiful scenery.

"Eh? Oh, come on in!" He heard a soft voice speak, before twisting the doorknob and letting it swing open.

He was greeted by a sweet smell entering his nostrils, and a roaming bear, who had stopped to stare at him. A head poked out from the kitchen, and a smile grew on the face of said head.

"Oh! Lovino! What are you doing here? Isn't there a meeting today?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that? _You're_ an actual nation, _I'm_ just half of one."

"Well, what's the point of going if no one notices you, eh? I was going to just make some breakfast and then head in late, anyway." The Canadian smiled, motioning to Lovino to join him in the kitchen.

Lovino hesitantly entered the kitchen, sitting down on one of the elegant chairs of the kitchen table and taking a whiff of the air. Since he had not eaten since the incident with Feliciano, he felt as though his taste buds were crying. Matthew noticed the dreamy gaze the Italian was making towards the pan, and chuckled quietly.

"You can have some, you know. I usually make too many, anyway."

"I'm guessing you put away the extras for after, then?"

" _ **What?!**_ Who would let warm pancakes go co- I mean, uh, yeah, you could say that." The young nation blushed at his sudden outburst, and flopped the delicacies onto two plates, and poured some hot water into two cups, creating the hot chocolate that smelled just as good as the pancakes.

He handed Lovino a cup and a plate, who stared at the maple-covered pancakes with a glint of want in his eye. Matthew just continued to chuckle and set himself a plate and cup onto the table, taking a seat across from the Italian. By now, Lovino had been devouring the foreign food like it was the only food he'd had in days (which you could say is true.). What could he say? Italians were gluttons when it came to good food.

"So, why aren't you at the meeting again?"

With one last gulp, the plate in front of Lovino was empty. His eyes landed on the blonde-haired man as he lifted his head up with urgency.

"What the _fuck_ did I just eat?"

He didn't think about it at first, but now he was suspicious of the round fluffy food that Matthew had served him. It was a different taste to him, since most of his culinary culture revolved around pizza, pasta and things of that sort.

"You seriously don't know?! They're only the _most_ delicious things known to the North American tastebuds! They're called pancakes, slathered in the angelic and sweet maple syrup!"

Lovino cocked an eyebrow suspiciously at the Canadian. He would never have thought that the man would get so defensive and passionate about food. Maybe they had more in common then he thought. After realizing his passionate speech, Matthew quickly blushed again and sighed.

"Sorry, eh? You still haven't told me why you skipped the meeting."

"What's it to you, bastard?" Lovino started getting defensive, wishing the younger man would stop asking, "If you really want to know, I'm just avoiding my idiot brother."

"Well, I want to know because you seem upset, even if you always seem upset," He chuckled at the Italians pout following those words, "Plus, you actually came to visit me, not just ask where _my_ idiot brother is. You're my friend!"

Lovino looked up again into the purple eyes. There was a warm smile on the blonde's face as he chuckled. Lovino just scoffed out a ' _whatever'_ and picked up the mug, swishing around the brown, warm liquid.

"Oh, wait!" A soft voice exclaimed, grabbing the bottle of maple syrup from the middle of the dark wooden table and squirted some into the mug.

"Ugh! Why would you put that stuff in there?!" Lovino spat, disgusted as he stared into the mug where the thick syrup had sunk into the chocolatey substance.

"Just taste it! It's good!"

It was good to say the least. Lovino had drank two more cups after that one, surprised at how much he liked the sweetness. It had been about an hour or so since he arrived, and he felt like he had been at the log mansion all his life. He was starting to think Feliciano had been right, that he would be friends with the other nations in due time.

"So, let me get this straight, Ludwig called, Feliciano lied about him calling, you got mad, then he got mad, and then he left." The Canadian went over the dramatic situation Lovino had ranted to him about for the past couple hours.

"Well, if you want to make it easier to explain, si."

"Well why is it such a problem with you if he left? I thought he annoyed you?" The questions asked seemed to make Lovino think Matthew wasn't listening at all.

"It's not just that! He's been gone for two days! I'm so used to seeing him every fuckin' moment of the day that my head hurts just thinking about it."

"I still don't see the problem. I'm sure he just had a sleepover at Germany's place and got occupied. Nothing to worry about." The young nation said matter-of-factly, taking a sip of his fifth cup of hot chocolate.

"What do you know…" Lovino muttered, crossing his arms and looking out the kitchen window at the nature-filled scenery.

"Don't be so closed-minded. I swear he's fine! When I go to the meeting, I'll text you to tell you if I see him and he's all good."

"Yeah, I bet he'll be with that potato face bastard. _Dio, I hate that guy with my whole being!_ " He grouched, keeping his arms in a tight knot and avoiding eye contact with the other.

"You really shouldn't worry about _that_ , either."

"You think I'm worried about that _Macho Potato_? I'm worried about my brother being raped by the guy! Why would you think I would not be worried?!"

"I don't think you should be worried because Feliciano may act like a seven-year-old, but he's still a grown man, a _nation_ at that!"

" _Tell me something I don't know!_ "

Lovino felt that tightness in his chest reappear. It was happening again. He hated that he was such a dick to everyone, but it was just in his nature. This is why he doubted anyone wanting to be his friend, he could never be kind and nice like Feliciano.

The Canadian gave a weak frown, looking a bit angered at the sarcastic comeback.

"I'm still having trouble understanding why you _care_ if he has a relationship with Ludwig and Kiku or anyone for that matter. When I say he's a grown man, I'm saying he's able to make his own decisions. Why can't _you_ let _him_ do that!?"

"Because _I love him_ , you bastard idiota!"

The outburst came before Lovino could react. It was loud, like the whole continent of North America could have heard it. He didn't think about it before either, so he was quite surprised himself. The violet eyes widened, and his lips pursed into a straight, thin line. His own eyes wide, the older nation breathed out.

"I-I" Lovino started, pretty certain about what the Canadian thought of him now, "Tell him I'm sorry. I have business to take care of."

He walked as fast as he could to the front door after lifting himself out of the chair, and scooting it back in. He heard the Canadian call to him, but he slammed the door in response. There went another friend and his secrets, disappearing with the wind.

Lovino sat in the ruins of the attic, after having another episode of anger and emotion. He sat on the sofa that had been abandoned up there a while ago, which was now ruined by the glass which had ripped into it. When he entered the house, he was hopeful that he wouldn't have to encounter his younger love interest, so he hid in the upstairs attic that was made into a makeshift living room. But he couldn't contain his anger, so another hurricane of objects flew throughout the room. He clutched his phone in his hand, not having the courage to look and see if there were any messages.

That was until he felt a vibrate, followed by the upbeat song of 'Canadian, please!' that Matthew had set into the cell. He flipped the phone over and let the screen light up.

 _ **[17 missed calls/3 new voicemails/24 messages]**_

His body shuddered. Feliciano had been trying to communicate with him for a while now, but he never noticed. He put in the passcode of the phone and skipped through the texts from the younger Italian and clicked on the message from the Canadian.

' _Feliciano is really worried, and I am too. Please don't do anything stupid.'_

Lovino read the message with a glazed eyes, trying to read between the lines. The text was a dark red, a known colour of blood.

' _Just leave me alone, you bastard.'_

No point in keeping in vulgarities now. He exited out, and scrolled down the long list of messages. From the first one up, they started to get a little more detailed with worry. He grunted under his breath, going to his little phone icon and seeing the small list of voicemails the northerner left him. First one.

 _ **Ciao, fratello. I just wanted to let you know I didn't mean what I said. Please be careful. Ne, Buona Notte.**_

That was heart-warming. Feliciano had tried to make him feel better. But, the voice was not the regular cheerful one that his brother identified with. Lovino was still second guessing the empty words. Second one.

 _ **Ve, Fratello! Why aren't you at the World Meeting? Call as soon as possible~!**_

Now his stomach churned a bit. He didn't know it if was from the heaping pile of fluffy dessert-like food Matthew had stuffed him with, or if it was just the unknown worry eating away at his stomach. Third one.

 _ **Fratello, if you get this, please call me back! I'm really scared! I came home to see you and you weren't there, and I couldn't wait because I had to go back to the meeting! Please, please, call me back as soon as you can. Please.**_

He realized it wasn't the pancakes. He could hear the concern in the voice, and he had just left the boy hanging. He could only imagine what his fratellino was feeling now. Well, he could only imagine for a few seconds until his phone rang with chanting, excited song his brother sang all the time. The screen showed the two of them together, a picture Felciano had taken not long ago. He hesitantly pressed the green symbol and saw the little numbers appear to time how long the call was. He immediately regretted it. It was silent for a good moment or two before a childlike voice spoke into the air.

 **Fratello? Are you there? Oh Dio, I'm glad you're alright! Where are you** **?** **Please, just head home! I'm heading there now with some of the , I was really scared that something had happened to you!**

"Don't treat me like a child, idiota."

 **Wha-What do you mean!? I'm just telling the truth! When I get there, maybe we can get you to become friends with everyone else! W-We can-**

"Does it seem like I want to be friends with anyone?"

 **Ve, Fratello, please…**

"Just leave me alone, already!"

 **Ve?! Fratello- Lovino!**

He hurriedly clicked the red button as the shout sounded through the cell. He could hear the front door slam open as his brother and whoever he brought with him entered the house. He could hear sobbing illuminating from the lower level.

" _What did I do?! I made him mad!"_ A very familiar yelp cried out.

" _Italia, please, don't worry too much about it! I've had times where I was also upset."_

" _You don't get it, Kiku! He'll get really angry and then- Oh Dio, things will happen!"_

Lovino chuckled at the little faith his brother had in him. He could hear footsteps trampling across the floor, looking for him most likely.

" _He- He actually came by my house before I went to the meeting… I talked to him for a while."_

Lovino's eyes widened, and he dropped to his knees from the couch and pressed his ear to the ground.

"Don't you dare, Matthew." He muttered, quietly, getting that anger from before building up in his stomach.

If the Canadian said anything, his life would be over. He would _personally_ jump out the window and break his neck. He would be too embarrassed to even function. More embarrassed than Antonio had ever made him.

" _Ve!? What did he say!? Did he tell you where he was going?!"_

" _I told you this at the meeting, too."_ A sigh erupted from the soft voice, " _I assumed he was going to just come back here. He said he had 'business to take care of' or something like that."_

Lovino gave a quiet sigh of relief that the blonde hadn't spilled all his secrets. He swore he could've died on the spot of embarrassment. There was silence, until it was broken by a strained cry.

" _I_ _**killed**_ _him! Oh_ _ **God**_ _, I killed him! Lovino, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!"_ The voice cried out pathetically, failing to choke back sobs.

Guilt started to splash over Lovino. He wanted to just rush down to the crying nation and hug him until his tears vanished. But another part of him told him to just hide away from the group and sort his shit out. He was just as much as a mess as the crying man.

" _That is enough, Italy!"_ Another gruff voice shouted, " _He may as well be dead if you carry on like this."_

Oh, _God_. That voice belonged to the guy who started all of this. He was starting to feel better and more welcome until he had to ruin things. What's worse, is he made his darling younger brother cry harder than he already was. He swore if that guy's neck wasn't so thick, he would choke him to death.

" _I don't think he would kill himself because of you, Feliciano."_ The soft voice came again, a few footsteps following it.

" _Ve, Why?"_

 _ **Oh god, no.**_

It was only a few moments ago, but he wanted to go kill Matthew. His chest and stomach twisted with anger and fear. He felt like his heart had just burst. The **cruel** burning in his heart made him feel empty. To think he _trusted_ that Northern American nation for a second.

" _H-He said that?"_ Came a choked whisper.

" _Yeah, he did. I know he probably wouldn't have wanted me to tell anyone that, let alone you, but before I could ask him about it, he stormed out of the house."_

" _Ve, Fratello…So, that's why you didn't want me to hang out with Germany."_

" _I guess, but, anyway, Do you have any place where Lovino would go in the house that we probably wouldn't know about."_

Lovino sat on the edge of the open window, readying himself to jump. He knew it wouldn't do much damage since he was a nation, but hopefully he could become comatose or something. He couldn't face Feliciano after that. There was a moment of silence from the countries downstairs, and a quick gasp following.

" _The attic! He always used to stay in the attic when he wanted to be alone and because he doesn't like spiders and things in the basement!"_

Lovino smirked slightly, _Attaboy, finally storing something in that thick head of yours._ There was a monstrous wave of footsteps after a screeched ' _To the Attic!'_ was let loose by a loud obnoxious voice. He turned to look out at the scenery as he let his grip on the window pane loosen. He heard the commotion of the attic door opening, and footsteps roaring up the stairs.

"Fratello! Wait!"

He sat there, looking blankly at the swaying trees. He couldn't turn around to face his brother .

"What do you say, Veneziano? A drop from 3 stories would do the trick, si?"

"Ne! Please don't, fratello! I'm finally starting to realize why you don't like Germany! To be honest with you, I didn't like you hanging out with Antonio much either, heh! But, now I kinda get that feeling inside of me, too. For a while, actually, ve!"

Lovino felt that familiar redness come across his cheek, but scowled all the while, not looking at the figure behind him.

"Really? Well, Ludwig seems to have you wrapped around his finger most of the time, doesn't he?" He spoke more matter-of-factly than questioning.

A grunt of amusement came from the German, and Feliciano elbowed him in the side, giving a weak glare and a ' _Shush!'._

"Heh heh, I guess I was a bit of a dick about that, ne?" Feliciano giggled pathetically, breaking his glare from the German, "I've been hanging out with Luddy a lot for a few reasons. He makes Kiku and I train lots, and I go to him for emotional support when I get upset! But recently, I've been going to talk to him about how I should confess to you! I've talked to everyone here, really!"

 _How could he be so careless?!_ People weren't so accepting of incesteous relationships. Unlike him, his idiot of a brother decided to tell everyone and their mother about his feelings towards him. He began to turn around to yell at him.

" _ **What!?**_ _You stupid idiota_! You do real- _**WAH!**_ "

" _ **Lovino!**_ "

His grip had been too loose to keep him on the window sill, and he felt himself fall at a blistering pace. His back connected to the dusty ground with a slam, and he got the breath knocked out of him. As he regained his breath, he coughed as the dust covered his view of his brother screeching from the window. Pain shot through his body as he gave a loud groan.

"Lovino! Are you okay?! Say something!"

"Fuck me and my fucking idea's…" He groaned, rolling onto his side and coughing from the slight ingestion of dust.

Soon enough, There were quick footsteps running towards him, slightly panting. A blue-covered pair of legs collapsed beside him, lifting his head and resting it on the soft material.

"Ve! Are you okay, fratello? Are you hurt?"

"Of _course_ I'm hurt, idiota!" He yelped as the pain shot through his body once again, "O-Oy, I'm sorry. I just didn't know why you would go tell the whole fucking world, _literally_ , about your feelings. It amazes me how much you trust people sometimes."

"Eh heh heh.. Well, sometimes it's too hard to contain, so I have to tell someone! It's always nice to have someone to talk to when you have loved someone for so long!"

"Oh, and how long was that?" Lovino rolled his eyes, lifting his head from the clothed lap and pulling himself up into a sitting position, and faced the younger.

"Maybe I can tell you over dinner, ne?" The voice spoke so softly, that Lovino could have totally disregarded what it had said if he didn't think about it.

" _C-Che!?_ " Lovino stuttered, suddenly feeling a soft peck on his cheek.

Feliciano giggled at the shocked red face in front of him, and lifted himself up, heading back towards the group of nations at the entrance of the house to reassure them that everything would be alright.

" _Oy! Get back here, you idiot!"_ was all Feliciano could hear from the flustered figure on the ground, as he let a bright smile form on his face. He was so happy!

Lovino sat on the ground, dumbfounded, and tried to comprehend what just happened. Maybe he should just _thank_ Matthew, instead. He rubbed his cheek, flustered.

 _Cheeky bastard._


	4. Dirty

"Ve! Lovino, let's go outside!"

Currently, it was raining in the southern portion of Italy. It wasn't often that it rained in the south, even in the 'winter' months, so Feliciano wanted to make the most of it with his _brother-turned-lover_. Well, that, and also so he could reminisce about when he was only young and his Nonno would play with him outside on rainy days, jumping in puddles and slipping in mud and taking a warm bath after it all. Those were some of his favourite times. But on the other hand, Lovino was much more inclined to stay inside, due to his _slight_ emetophobia. Felciano was currently cuddling ferociously with his drowsy older brother, Lovino reluctantly cuddling back, as they sat on the couch in the living room.

"Let me think. _No._ " Lovino answered, quickly, preferring the warmth of the fireplace then the coldness of the rain outside.

"Awe, please, _amore_? I won't bother you for a week! Plus, It'll be fun, ne?" Feliciano countered, trying to persuade the older with the nickname he always got flustered over.

Lovino directed a soft glare at him, a faint red colour brushed on his cheeks, "No, _idiota_."

"Oh, please, fratello!? _Please_? Please, please, _pretty please_?"

Lovino pushed his younger, over-affectionate counterpart off of him, muttering quietly and covering his blush. He turned toward Feliciano after a moment.

"Will you shut up if I go out with you?"

"Ve, I thought we were _already_ going out!" He purred, pouncing on the older once again and rubbing their cheeks together.

He let out a yelp as they hit the floor, and looked to the figure invading his space angrily.

"Oy, you get what I mean, you _moron_. Get off of me!" The tsunderes blush became darker, bringing himself back up the the sitting position he was previously in and pushed the other off again.

"Eh heh heh, _si!_ I'll shut up forever and ever if fratello wants me to!"

"Fine, but you better keep that in mind and shut up _or I might just kill you!_ "

Feliciano smiled at the empty threat and hurried to grab his coat and boots. He knew the threat was empty, since Lovino had used it thousands of times and yet, he wasn't dead. As he shoved his boots onto his feet, he charged over to the coat rack and scooted to a stop, grabbing his raincoat and swerving his arms into the sleeves and pulling it together to button up.

Soon enough, he was waiting by the door. His fratello lacked the excitement he did, so he took a rather long time to gather himself up.

"Ve, Fratello! Hurry up already!" He whined, eager to go and play games in his mind, seeing as his fratello wouldn't be adventurous with him.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming, _idiota_." The older mumbled, sliding his arms slowly through the coat.

Impatiently, Feliciano thrusted the door open and hopped out onto the concrete deck, letting his arms swing out like the wings on an airplane. He hopped down the steps to the muddy ground, and ran around, laughing carelessly in the rain.

Lovino sighed as he stepped out onto the hard surface of the deck. He wasn't looking forward to this. He decided instead of taking the risk of getting sick, he would take a seat and watch his amore run around like an idiot in the front yard. He blushed as the word played in his mind.

 _Amore._

It was foreign to him. He plopped himself down and watched as the younger man twirled and hopped and danced and sang in the rain. It was more _graceful_ than idiotic. He was jealous at how beautiful Feliciano could be without even thinking about it. Feliciano disappeared from view as he ran to the right of the house, laughing and giggling all the same.

The day after Feliciano had told Lovino about his feelings, he went right to Canada and scouted out the log-made mansion. Upon arrival, he smacked the Canadian upside the head, yelling at him about how he should respect his elders and their secrets, and then quietly thanked him before running off again. The Canadian watched him and frowned as he ran, but ended up smiling because he had _apparently_ helped his friend out.

Lovino had been broken out of the thought of his memory from a high-pitched screech, crying out for help.

"V-Ve! Fratello! Fratello, _help!_ "

Lovino's eyes widened and he lifted himself. How could he have gotten himself into trouble already, they had only been outside for _2 minutes_! He trudged quickly across the muddy ground and over to the sound of the cries. He saw a figure lumped up in the mud, fallen to the ground.

"Oy! Idiota, are you alri-" The question was cut short as he felt the heel of his boot slide out of his control.

 _ **SPLAT!**_

Not moments later, Lovino found himself at the same level as the figure, who was currently bellowing out a laugh. He had fallen on his butt into the wretched brown muck.

"Fratello fell! Heh heh! Who's the idiota now?" Feliciano bellowed, laughing up a storm at the fallen Southerner.

"Si, I can see that, _Feliciano_." He yelled angrily in the direction of the laughter, seeing the redness of his brothers face as he laughed harder, "Ugh, whatever. Are you alright?"

"Ve? Si, I'm alright! I just wanted to see if you would actually come and play with me!"

As the words were said, Lovino's eye twitched slightly, "You mean to tell me, that you called me over here, into the rain and mud, so you could play a game?!"

"Eh heh heh, si?"

A yell erupted from his throat and he lunged at the younger, who shrieked in protest. They began rolling around aimlessly in the back yard. If anyone passing by were to see them, they would have thought that Lovino was trying to kill Feliciano. But, Lovino's anger had soon subsided, and he began to wrestle with the laughing body underneath him. It was entertaining for both of them to say the least. Lovino was actually having fun, in the rain, with his lover!

Well that was, until that cursed noise came along.

That _sneeze._

Their movements came to an abrupt halt as Lovino peered down at the pathetically laughing figure beneath him, the person who had done the _thing_.

"No. No, no, Feliciano! No sickness! No sneezing or coughing or colds or any of that shit!" He screeched, grabbing the sleeve of Feliciano's raincoat and tugging him up off the ground, and dragged him into their home.

It was only when they had gotten inside that he realized how **dirty** both of them were. He helped the younger peel off his muddy jacket and boots, along with his own, and then headed up the stairs, still dragging him by the oversized sleeve of his pajama shirt.

"Veh? Fratello, where are you taking me?"

"What do you mean, _where am I taking you_? _You're taking a bath_! You're **dirty** , if you haven't noticed!"

"Oh, oh! Can we take one together, Fratellone? _Pretty please_!"

 _ **"No."**_

 _ **"Yes."**_

 _"Excuse me?"_

"U-Uh, please!? If you wait to take a bath after me, then you'll get sick, too. A-And you're **dirty** , too! Heh heh!"

Lovino sighed, giving in to the younger man's request, as he always did. What was the harm in it, anyway? They had bathed with each other for a long time, even before they had a more than brotherly relationship. He opened the door, pulling in the younger before slamming and locking it, causing the other to erupt into cheers.

After stripping away their soaked clothing and Lovino had filled the tub with warm water, They climbed in, failing to realize that two adults was not the best strategy when taking a bath. So, Lovino speedily washed his brother clean of mud, before proceeding to his own mud covered body. The water had soon been an ugly brown colour, causing Lovino to jump out and pull Feliciano out of the bath, who was staring into the brown murkiness with curiosity and slight disgust. _[He later claimed to be_ _investigating_ _.]_ Feliciano felt a warm, fluffy texture connect with his skin, as he reached for the corners of the dark red towel and tied it around his waist.

"Ve! Grazie, Fratello!" He chirped, leaving a light peck on his now clean cheek.

"Whatever." Lovino muttered, flustered again, cursing his so-not-cool exterior.

By the time they were finished, it was late. Having already finished eating dinner beforehand, and being near the youngers, currently their room, they decided they may as well go to sleep. As Lovino finished getting into his tomato-print pyjamas, he noticed Felciano was still fiddling around with his clothes, only having an undershirt and boxers to cover him.

Good enough.

He lifted the man from behind, who let out a surprised yelp and twisted around in the grip as he was pulled onto the mattress. A pair of lips smashed into his, much to his surprise. That didn't mean he was going to object. After a good minute, they both pulled away and smiled, Feliciano giggled at Lovino's blush. He let his body collapse onto the olders, and rolled to face his back towards Lovino. He felt arms wrap around his waist, smiling at the quiet ' _buona notte'_ that came from the body.

" _Dolce Sogni, mi amore."_


	5. Envious

Lovino was trying to contain his anger as he heard a giggle and the front door slam shut.

Ludwig had just marched into his home, uninvited. He mumbled some random things to _his_ Feliciano and off he went, taking Feliciano with him. Oh, but he didn't drag him out, Feliciano _went_ with him! He wasn't going to go rain on their parade, no. He trusted Feliciano enough to not be unfaithful. But, it made him peeved. The house seemed to get a little too tense, at the moment.

He shoved his arms through the sleeves of his cardboard box-coloured uniform shirt, and buttoned it up over his wifebeater. He marched out the back door, with a juicy tomato in his hand, heading towards the forested area of their backyard. He felt a strange tenseness in his hands as he lifted them and shot a red and yellow flash of light that twisted and turned around from his hand. As if it were a bulldozer, the trees of the forest disappeared and revealed a long winding path, seemingly endless. This power was better known to the countries as the 'Path of Nations'. Although they could get on any plane free of charge, it was much faster to use this power to go from one place to another. However, the farther away the country, the longer the path, and thus, the more energy drained. He looked drearily at the long pathway.

"Che cazzo? _Damn_ , I'm only going to Spain!" He muttered quietly, pushing himself into the path.

As his feet carried him down the clear-cut path, he heard a voice. Not like any he had heard a while ago, but of someone who he knew from way back when.

 _Lovino, Don't be jealous of them._

He could name that voice anywhere.

" _Stai zitto_ , old man. I'm not jealous of anyone."

 _Don't lie to me, Lovino. I can see right through it! You shouldn't be jealous that Feliciano follows that guy around. He does the same to you, but you yell at him, si?_

Lovino muttered under his breath in anger. He knew he couldn't get his Nonno to believe he wasn't jealous. So, he just huffed and crossed his arms, continuing down the shortening path to a certain tomato lover's home.

 _Lovino, per favore. Stop being so_ _ **envious**_ _of their relationship and just go home and wait for Feliciano. Do you really want a repeat of what happened not long ago? He was a mess._

 _"_ He didn't even talk to me before he left this time! He just marched out of the house with that krautface and didn't say a word to me! Plus, that _thing_ is different from now! _Veneziano_ was the one who _stormed out_ , and I'm just going out for a visit!"

He could hear the the quiet sigh from the voice, and the immediate reply of ' _it's not like it was only his fault'_ and ' _you're the one who got so angry.'_

Or something in between those lines.

He finally entered the tomato field he knew since he was just a young boy, quickly realized he had engulfed the tomato he brought with him unconsciously, due to being occupied with the _empire-no-longer_ Ancient Rome.

 _Have you even thought about what you are going to tell Spain when you get to the front door?_

'Yes, I have, _Nonno."_ He spoke out as he snatched two tomatoes from the long green vines of the oversized garden.

Lovino banged a swift three knocks on the door, with the spanish flag engraved in it. He could heard a chair scooch, and he heard a cheerful voice call out a ' _uno momento!'_. Even though the statement was short, it wasn't even 2 seconds after it was said that the Spaniard opened the door.

"Ah, Lovi! What brings you here, _mi tomate?_ " Antonio raved, cheerfully, as he took a quick step forward to wrap his arms around his ex-underling.

"I, uh," Lovino started, fiddling with the two tomatoes in his hands after the man unlatched himself from him and handing one over to the overly cheerful spaniard, "I brought you a tomato."

"Awe! Lovi missed me so much he picked me a tomato from my fields and thought I wouldn't notice! I might cry!" The Spaniard cried out after staring at the red fruit in his hand [or is it a vegetable? He didn't care, they are freaking delicious either way!]

"W-What!? I didn't miss you! And I got that from my own garden, you bastard!" Lovino yelped as Antonio once again wrapped his arms around the younger man's neck and squeezed harshly.

Lovino screeched as he was dragged into the house by the tomato farmer.

.

"Bye-bye, mi tomate!"

Lovino was just leaving after spending a large chunk of the day. His relationship with Spain was that of a best friend, although he hated how touchy-feely he was. The day was spent as usual when he went over to Spain's. They ate tomatoes, chatted about random things that most people wouldn't talk about, while Lovino proceeded to throw Spain down on the floor and wrestle if he said something embarrassing. It was like that everytime he went, which was often. He muttered his own goodbye to the Spaniard and began to wander through the field of tomatoes.

He watched the sunset fall among the Spanish nation, which was always a beautiful sight to see. Red, orange and yellow stained the normally blue sky, making for a golden colour to glow off of his tan skin. He loved coming out to the fields this time of day, especially when he was younger, and forced to stay away from his brother. It made him feel safe, and he always wondered if Feliciano could see the same sky he did from the ' _Piano Bastards'_ place. He always hated Austria for dividing he and his brother. There was one time that he thought the sunset was the only thing that could make him happy, after he got in a fight with Spain while he had his 'friends' were embarrassing him.

As he approached the long pathway he had yet to close, he groaned. He didn't feel like walking all the way back to be alone in the house again. Maybe he would just enjoy the scenery for a while. He picked another tomato from the green vines and plopped down onto the ground. He leaned up against the cool fence surrounding the fields before closing his eyes and letting his mind drift away.

 _"Stupid Spain! Why are you such a bastard!? I hate you!" The young nation cried out into the tomato field as he leaned against a fence, sobbing._

 _He hated feeling like the punching bag of the 'Bad Touch Trio', something they could embarrass whenever they wanted to. He didn't want to go back, he just wanted to go find his brother and run back to Italy with him. He sniffled, looking up to the bright, warm colours of the sky. They made him feel at home, and it reminded him about how far away from his fratello he was. But, thinking to his fratello, he would know that the younger hated it when he cried. He forced his lips to curve upright as he looked at the large sun, leaving him for the night. He still didn't feel better, and he didn't want to go back to Spain. That's when the idea hit him. Why couldn't he make his home out in the tomato fields tonight? He couldn't go hungry, he had tomatoes! Plus, he was part of a country surrounded by the ocean, for crying out loud, so if he needed water, he could suck it up! But, he knew Spain knew this field like the back of his hand, so he had to try his best to make sure that that bastard couldn't find him. With that, he grabbed a tomato to munch on, and let his smile grow as he approached the border of the forest, failing to here his 'boss' calling for him._

" _I don't know, Gil, Franny. I'm worried about him, he's only a niño!" The spaniard stressed to the other two as he re-entered his house after calling for his underling._

" _Ah, mon ami! He may be a boy, but he's a big boy! He'll come around soon." Francis reassured him, putting a hand on his shoulder and smiling in his own 'Francey-Pants' way._

 _But, as soon as they two members of the trio left, he let himself wander through the fields, calling out for the young boy._

" _Romanooo!"_

 _The young Italian had began to cry again after being frightened by the noises of the dark forest. He felt so pathetic, but he was so afraid. He could swear to the heavens that he was going to get killed by the squirrels he had blamed countless times. He covered his head, wailing into the wet dirt beneath him. He regretted ever thinking this was a good idea._

 _"Romanooo!" The voice could have been one of a murderer, and he wouldn't care._

 _But, he knew the accent well enough to tell it was Antonio. The weight on his chest kept growing as he heard the growls of the animals of the forest and the eerie sound the wind made as it swirled through the bare branches. He wanted to call out to him, but he was being blinded and nearly drowned by the never ending tears._

" _S-Spain…" He whimpered out, crawling slowly from the depths of the bushes._

 _The call was pathetic, and so quiet he couldn't even hear himself. He heard another growl come from the depths of the forest, and his sobs grew harder._

 _"Spain!" He cried, tucking his head into his arms once again._

 _He wondered if Antonio had given up already. His screeches weren't nearly loud enough, due to his sobs._

 _"Romano! Come now, mi tomate! It's getting late! Where are you?!"_

 _He choked back his sobs, his little heart pounded at the excitement of terror. He was completely and utterly terrified. He wanted Spain, his Nonna or even Feliciano to come save him. He tried his best to gather up his courage as he let out a screech._

 _ **"Spain! I'm scared, you bastard! Don't leave me here! Help me!"**_ _He cried out, sobbing as he tried to pull himself from under the bushes, but his maid-like dress got stuck in the bare branches and he desperately tried to rip the fabric free._

 _"Romano! I'm coming!" Spain yelled from the opposite side of the field and began to let his feet guide him to the screeching boy._

 _The bushes behind the young, chubby boy rustled and a low growl came from there. The cold wind bit at his soft skin as he let a scream rip through the air. He could feel something, he didn't know what, but it made it's way up his leg. He ripped the fabric of his dress off and kicked his leg against the branches, receiving cuts from the sharp branches. He quickly pulled himself up out of the mess of branches and leaves and ran mindlessly into the maze of tomatoes, navigating himself towards his caretakers cries. Before he knew it, he smashed his face into a familiar figure and let himself sob as he felt a gentle hand stroke his back._

 _Lovino swore he would never go outside alone again._

"Ah! I remember that night like it was yesterday! We went home and ate some tomatoes together."The spaniard chuckled cheerfully, reminiscing about the sleeping figure in front of him, stroking his hair out of his face, "Later, he said that he wanted to spend the night there because it reminded him of you, Feli! Silly boy, he must of thought the sunset would just stay there until morning!"

"Heh, really…?"

"Si! I felt bad about it later, so we came over to visit you! I can remember you were so surprised when he hugged you!"

Feliciano's heart fluttered softly at the memory. He had been expecting his brother to just brush him off, like usual. However, as soon as they had encountered each other, Lovino wrapped his arms around him, and rested his chin on the younger's head, since he was quite a bit taller.

Ironically, Feliciano was the taller one now.

He gave a sweet chuckle before returning to the task at hand. Feliciano had grown worried after his brother had not been home again, and feared the worst when there had been no sign of the older in a handful of hours. Although, instead of taking things out of hand and blowing things out of proportion, he decided the best course of action would be to ask around for any known appearance, and his brothers former caretaker was the first person he called. After they had located the older Italian and shared stories of the past, they had awakened the drowsy man, and he drowsily clung to Feliciano as they slowly trudged down the long path back to their home.

As they reached their destination, Lovino peeled himself of Feliciano and trotted to the tomato garden he had been growing since, well, _God knows when._ Feliciano chuckled as his brother plucked a tomato from one of the plants and quickly chomped down on it, before trudging into the house through the back screen door. Lovino was so careful around his plants, it was a surprise to Feliciano that he hadn't stayed out for an hour making sure there was no damage done to them in his absence. Feliciano shook himself out of his thoughts, and followed his brother into the house, out of the dimly-lit night.

Feliciano slowly climbed into his king-sized bed, which had already been occupied by his brother-turned-lover. They hadn't spoken much since they had gotten back, other than Feliciano asking if Lovino was hungry, in which he just shook his head. He sighed at the memory og the gesture, and gently kissed Lovino's temple, and then lower down to his cheek, before snuggling into his back. He felt comfortable in the warmth.

"I'm sorry, fratello. I should've known you would be upset." He whispered into the dark of the room, "I wish you would trust me a little more…"

The moment of silence was broken by Lovino's grunt in response, and the creaking of the bed as he twisted around to face the younger. A soft chuckle rose from Feliciano throat before he kissed the older sweetly on the lips.

"Please, just understand that I could never love anyone as much as I love you now. I may have loved others, but that's all in the past, ne? That was all meant to be history."

Lovino muttered some nonsense, before snuggling his face into Feliciano's neck, kissing it gingerly. Feliciano let out a surprised giggle, wrapping his arms around the tanned tomato lover. The kisses stopped abruptly for a few seconds, much to Feliciano's questioning.

"Fratello?" He giggled slowly, letting his grip grow loose around his brother's body.

A low grunt emerged and he felt the small smirk form on the lips touching his neck, before a sharp pain shot through his sensitive skin as the older' teeth protruded, making him let out a choked gasp.

"Ow, ow, ow! Fratello, that hurts!" He nudged the man in the face with his shoulder, "Stop!"

Lovino unhinged himself from his neck, let out a chuckle before licking the blood that made its way through the wound. He nuzzled back into Feliciano neck, feeling the younger man becoming hesitant to return his grip from before.

He muttered quietly into the warmth, "I just want to prove that you're mine. There seems to be a need to so those other bastards don't get any ideas."

Feliciano sighed at the comment, before returning the grip, slowly letting a smile form. Maybe, his fratello wasn't angry that he spent so much time with Germany, but he was _jealous._ He liked that thought, the thought of his fratello actually having the courage to fight for him.

Well, maybe not _fight_.

Or clean…

But, he could make an exception.


End file.
